We’ve all been there; we’ve either experienced it or we’ve been there to observe it.
You’re out in public. Your child wants something and you’ve said no. Then the begging begins and still the answer is no. The tears start, the voice raises, the feet stomp and the fist pounds. Yes, a full on tantrum – loss of self-control.
It’s one thing when this happens in a child but entirely another when it happens with an adult in a business meeting or between a couple. It can have devastating results.
Society is filled with self-centered folks who want something and want it NOW! If they don’t get what they want when they want it, they claim it’s their right – they’re owed it and take offense when told no. Many of the ills in our culture stem from selfishness or lack of self-control.
We need to get some temperance planted in our gardens. It might even require a double planting since it is so lacking in many lives. Temperance is another word for self-control. But we know that self-control is really Holy Spirit, God-directed control. It’s the strength to hold your tongue when everything on the inside is saying “let ’em have it”. Self-control is what Jesus showed when Pilot asked him for a defense in the judgment hall and it says
“ But Jesus did not say anything, and the governor was greatly amazed.” Matthew 27:14 CEV
Solomon, our teacher of wisdom, gave us this instruction.
“ A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow.”
Proverbs 15:1 ERV
Temperance is a quality of those who have matured in life. Knowing when to speak and how to act so that it will be effective and not fall on deaf ears or a hard heart is a skill gained through experience.
“If a nation is not guided by God, the people will lose self-control, but the nation that obeys God’s law will be happy.” Proverbs 29:18
WOW! what a mandate for us as a nation!
“If your thinking is controlled by your sinful self, there is spiritual death. But if your thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
Life and Peace – what a blessing!
“Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” II Peter 1:5-8
In the verses above Peter says we will produce fruit and be useful to God. Sign me up!
I want God to be honored by my life and if you are reading this each day, I know you do too! So as we plant these seeds in our garden today the work isn’t over. We still have to water them daily with prayer and let the “Son” shine on them as they grow. We also have to keep the weeds out (cares, anxieties and distractions) and fertilize them (the testimony of others or from God’s word).
“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.” Galatians 5:22-23 ERV
I love what Paul says at the end of listing the fruit of the Spirit, “against such there is no law.” When these traits are working in our lives we will be fulfilling the law of love, God’s love!
Happy Gardening.